Refrigerating apparatus



G. A. WEGNER.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLEU JULY 13. m1.

latmtud June 3, 1919.

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G. A. WEGNER.

REFRGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION mu) IULY13. 1911 Patented June 3, 1919.

o T N E V N I ,4 TTOR/VE Y Patented June 3, 1919:

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a 5 0 R W a 1 0 f ff m 4 6 a w t s 1 z 5 w=| 1| 1 a ll I w la a H 7 a 3 ,3: .o 0 m GUSTAVE A. WEGINER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

REFBIGERATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1917. Serial No. 180,295.

and Improved Refrigerating Apparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a self contained refrigerating apparatus using a'liquefiable gas; and has for its objects, first, to produce an apparatus compact in design and 111 its small sizes light enough to be transported from one place to another without dismantling any of its constituent parts and, second, to save the greatest part of cooling water which the apparatus requires and which otherwise would go to waste.

The invention willfirst be described and will then be particularly defined in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrating the invention are as follows Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with the exception of the expansion coil; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of a portion of the base and the water cooling means supported thereon; Fig. 3, a part side eleration and part vertical sectional view along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 and showing the expansion coil; and Fig. 4, a vertical sectional view along the line H of Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings+ The numeral 1 represents a hollow base comprising a reservoir for the cooling water and in which is a float 2 for automatically controlling a valve or cook 3 on a pipe 4 leading to a source of water supply. Upon this base there is supported a condenser 5 comprising a cylindrical shell headed at both ends and inclosing a condenser coil 6; a compressor 7, which may be of any preferred type; a bearing member 8 for the compressor crank shaft 9; a water cooling device 10; and a motor for driving the shaft 9, which in the drawings comprises an electric motor 11 mounted upon a raised portion 12 of the base.

The motor shaft 13 carries a pulley 14 for driving by means of a belt, indicated in broken lines at '15 in Fig. 4, a larger pulley 16 which acts as a fly wheel and is fixed to the shaft 9 revolubly supported in the crank case 17 of the compressor and in the bearing member 8. Thepiston18 of the compressor is operated through crank connection with the shaft 9 in the usual manner, but not shown, and on the opposite end of th1s shaft is an eccentric 19 for reciprocating the piston 20 of a plunger pump 21 supported within the hollow base.

A pipe 22 leadingfrom the pump, and in which is located a check valve 23, has connection by means of a coupling 24 to the lower end of the condenser coil 6, the upper end of which has connection by means of a coupllng 25 to the intake pipe 26 leading to the water jacket 27 of the compressor 7. Threaded into this water jacket is an outlet plpe 28 leading to a distributing pipe or header 29 provided with a plurality of sprouts 30 for discharging the water over the top shelf of the cooling device 10.-

' Any suitable water cooler may be e1nployed although I prefer one such as shown in the drawings and which forms subject matter of a se arate patent application filed July 13, 191 Serial No. 180,296. This cooling device comprises a plurality of horizontally disposed shelves 31 and 32 extending between supporting side walls 33- and placed alternately one above the other in a manner that water distributed over the top shelf at one end thereof will flow in the direction of the arrows at, for the shelves 31, and y, for the shelves 32 (see Figs. 2 and 3) and drop from shelf to shelf. first at one end of the cooler and then the other until finally discharged into the reservoir 1 through the opening 34 indicated in Fig. 2.

The motor 11 is mounted so that a fan 35 fixed on the shaft 13, with its wings adapted to cover practically the entire end area of the cooler, produces a continuous draft of air over each layer of film water on the several shelves; and, to prevent a waste of water by being blown from the cooler, the ends of the shelves 32 op osite the fan are turned angularly upward in the manner indicated in Fig. 2.

The outlet end of the inner chamber 36 of the compressor 7 within which the piston 18 reciprocates, has connection by means of a discharge pipe 37 to the top of the condenser 5; and the expansion or refrigerating coil 38 has connection through pipes 39 and 40, respectively, to the intake end of the chamber 36 of the compressor and to the bottom of the condenser 6. These pipes 37 Patented June 3, 1919.

. 4:1, 42, and 43, respectively,

lows: 1

1 The compressor 7 draws the expanded and circulation of the liquefiable gas. The operation of the apparatus 1s as folevaporated gas through pipe 39 from the expansion coil 38, shown 1n Fig. 3, whlch s placed either in a room or box to be refrigerated or in a tank containing anongeala c liquid as the case may be. The compressed gas is then discharged from 7 through valve 41 and pipe denser 5 to be reliquefied which is effected by means of cold water circulating through the inclosed condenser coil 6. The liquefied gas collectsat the bottom of the condenser and passes through the valve 43 and pipe back into the expansion coil 38, thus completing the circuit.

Wlnle passing through the expansion coil the liquefiable gas is evaporated, due to the influence of the surrounding warmtempeia 'ture and thereby absorbs a certain amount of heat which the gas holds in a so called latent state; and when passing through the compressor a certain amount of sensible heat is added to the gas, generally known as heat of compression and equivalent to 44: B. T. Us for every horse power expended per minute for the work of compression.

for controlling neoaaec' pump although it will bereadily understood that a centrifugal or rotary pump may be waste.

the compressor 37 into the conautomatically replenished In reducing the gas to its original state s of a liquid, the heat, both in latent and sensible form, must be extracted and for this purpose a-certain amount of water is' continuously circulated through the coil 6 inclosed within the condenser 5. The

amount of water required varies from one to three gallons per-minute per ton of re frigeration according to prevailing conditions and it is principally with the object in view to save and reuse most of the water necessary for cooling purposes that this apparatus has been originated. The Water after passing through the coil 6 and compressor 7 must then be recooled and I accomplish this by discharging it 1n small streams from the header 29 over the cooling device 10 from which it is returned to the reservoir.v v

I have referred to the fan 35 as being operated by the electric motor 11 although it may be driven from the crank shaft of the compressor, and any power vmeans other than the electric motor may be used for driving the crank shaft 9, if desired.

The pump 21, operated from the crank haft 9, maintains a continuous circulation of water from the reservoir through the coil 6, for the purpose of reducing the gas to a liquid state, then through the water jacket 27 of the compressor 7, for cooling the latter, and from there to the cooling device 10 from which it is returned to the reservoir. The drawings show a plunger,

7 scribed a. certain used'to advantage. m

y cooling the water in the manner depercentage is lost by evaporation but this loss in the average does not exceedmore than two or three per cent. of the total amount which would be used if the cooling Water were permitted to go to It will be understood, also, that by the method described the cooling water passing through the very generous by giving the pump liberal dimensions and thus a very low condensing pressure can be obtained.

An automatic control of the water supply is obtained by this method 'of recooling the water and using it over again which eliminates the danger of'too high a pressure in the condenser by too short a supply or temporary stoppage of water. All lost water is by means of the float controlled valve 3, and the dimensions of the reservoir are preferably such that it will hold a twenty-four hour supply of cooling water. Q

What I claim is; v

1. In arefrigerating apparatus, the combination with an expansion coil of a reservoir having connection to a source of water supply, means for automatically regulating the water supply, a water iacketed compressor, a pump, and means for operating both last named elements; a condenser, a condenser coil a water cooler having connection at its discharge end, with said reser voir, connections whereby water from the reservoir is forced by the. pump through said condenser coil, said water jacket and to said watercoeler; pipe connections from the expansion coil to the condenser, and additional connections from the expansion coil through the compressor to the condenser.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with an expansion coil of a reservoir having connection to a source of water supply, means for automatically regulating the water supply, a water jacketed compressor, a pump, and means for operating both last named elements; a condenser, a condenser coil, a water cooler having connection at its discharge end with said reservoir, connections whereby Water from the reservoir is forced by the pump through said condenser coil, said water acket and to said water cooler; pipe-connections fromthe expansion coil to the condenser, additional connections from the expansion coil through the compressor to the condenser, and means for directing a current of air through said water :coole 3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with an expansion coil of a hollow base forming a reservoir and having concondensing coil can be made mso , bination with an expansion coil of a hollow nection to a source of water supply, a pump supported by the base; a Water jacketed compressor, a condenser, a condenser coil, and a water cooler supported upon the base, such cooler having communication at its discharge end with the said reservoir; pipe connection from the expansion coil to the condenser, additional connections from the expansion coil through the compressor to the condenser, connections whereby Water from the reservoir is forced by the pump through said condenser coil, said Water jacket and to said water cooler, and operating means for the compressor and the pump.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the com: bination with an expansion-coil of a hollow base forming a reservoir and having connection to a source of water supply, means as a float for automatically regulating the water supply, a pump supported by the base; a water jacketed compressor, a condenser, a condenser coil, and a water cooler supported upon the base, such cooler having communication at its discharge end with the said reservoir; pipe connectlon from the expansion coil to the-condenser, additional connections from the expansion coil through the compressor to the condenser, connections whereby water from the reservoir is forced by the pump through said condenser coil, said Water jacket and to said water cooler, and operating means for the compressor and the pump.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combase forming a reservoir and having connection to a source ofwater supply, means as a float for automaticallyregulating the water supply, a pump supported by the for directing a current fan on base; a water jacketed compressor, a con-' denser, a condenser coil, and a water cooler supported upon the base, such cooler havcommunication at its discharge end with the said reservoir; pipe connection from the expansion coil to the condenser, additional connections from the expansion coil through the compressor to the condenser, reservoir is forced by the pump through said condenser coil, said Water jacket and to said Water cooler; operating means for the compressor and the pump,and means water cooler.

connections whereby water from the of air through the 6. In a self contained refrigerating apparatus, the combination with an expanslon coil of a hollow base forming a reservoir and having connection to a source of water supply, means as a float for automatically regulating the water supply, a pump supported by the base; a water jacketed compressor, a condenser, a condenser coil, a water cooler and a motor supported upon the base, such cooler having communication at its discharge end with the reservoir; pipe connection from the expansion ,coil through the compressor to the condenser, a second connection from the expansion coil to the condenser, connections whereby water from the reservoir is forced by the pump through said condenser coil, said water jacket and to said water cooler; a revolubly supported -crank shaft for the compressor, a a the motor shaft for directing a currentconnections on said crank shaft for actuating said pump, and connection whereby the crank shaft is driven from said motor.

GUS

TAVE A. ,WEGNER,

of air through the water cooler, 

